I-Team tracks down contractor accused in flooring scam

MHIC says 4 complaints have been made against Charles Terrell

UPDATED 8:28 AM EDT May 08, 2012

BALTIMORE -

The 11 News I-Team tracked down a contractor who a local couple said they hired to install new floors, and while they trusted him and thought he was legit, they said they never saw him again after they wrote him a check.

Robert Fleming and his wife, Janice, said they liked the way their neighbor's flooring looked, so they hired the same contractor to install hardwood floors in their apartment in the Charlestown Retirement Community. The contractor's name is Charles Terrell, and the company is F&P Services.

The couple showed I-Team reporter Mindy Basara a copy of the contract they had with Terrell. It showed the total cost for the flooring was $5,000.

"He says, 'I need 50 percent down, and I'll pick up the rest when I do the job,'" Robert Fleming recounted. "I gave him $2,500. That was back in March of last year, and I haven't heard from him since."

The Flemings said they had every reason to believe they were dealing with a legitimate licensed contractor because Terrell had an active Maryland Home Improvement Commission number. But Basara reported that the problem was it wasn't his.

"That license was not assigned to him or his company," said Steve Smitson, the executive director of the MHIC. He said acting as a contractor without a license is a misdemeanor crime punishable by six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

"Today, there are many individuals sitting in jail throughout Maryland for acting as contractors without a license," Smitson said.

Terrell is someone the MHIC is familiar with, Basara reported.

"In the past four years, the Maryland Home Improvement Commission has investigated four complaints against Mr. Terrell. All four complaints allege that he was acting as a contractor without a license," Smitson said.

One of the complaints that the I-Team was shown was for a customer who alleged he or she paid Terrell $4,200 in November of 2009, but no work was performed.

Another complaint alleged that in August 2005, Terrell was involved with a company called Hardwood Floors by Gemini and refused to replace a poorly installed floor. The customer in that complaint paid almost $10,000, Basara reported.

"I expect that the Home Improvement Commission will be referring these complaints to the state's attorney's office for prosecution," Smitson said.

I-Team tracks Terrell down

Basara tracked Terrell down as he was leaving a home in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, and she asked him about the job he was supposed to do for the Flemings.

"We were contacted by Mr. Robert Fleming about some work you were supposed to do at his apartment in Charlestown, and the work was never done, and we just wanted to get your side of the story," Basara said to Terrell.

He responded, "I don't remember."

When Basara explained that Fleming was an "older gentleman in Charlestown," Terrell responded, "Doesn't ring a bell."

When Basara said, "We have the contract with your name on it," Terrell drove away.

Basara later spoke with Terrell on the phone. She said he admitted that he owes a lot of people money and said he has fallen under hard times and has every intention of giving the Flemings their $2,500 back. So far, that hasn't happened, Basara reported.

The MHIC said anyone who is looking to hire a contractor needs to do two things: make sure the contractor has an MHIC number that belongs to them and make sure there are no complaints filed against the individual or company.

"I'd like him to apologize and give me back the money," Robert Fleming said.

He said they ended up hiring another contractor to do their floors and they're happy with the results, but they would still like to get their $2,500 back.